Investors in Wafangdian Bearing (SZSE:200706) from three years ago are still down 24%, even after 17% gain this past week

Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited (SZSE:200706) shareholders will doubtless be very grateful to see the share price up 64% in the last quarter. But that cannot eclipse the less-than-impressive returns over the last three years. In fact, the share price is down 24% in the last three years, falling well short of the market return.

Although the past week has been more reassuring for shareholders, they're still in the red over the last three years, so let's see if the underlying business has been responsible for the decline.

View our latest analysis for Wafangdian Bearing

Because Wafangdian Bearing made a loss in the last twelve months, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually desire strong revenue growth. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

Over the last three years, Wafangdian Bearing's revenue dropped 3.5% per year. That is not a good result. The annual decline of 7% per year in that period has clearly disappointed holders. And with no profits, and weak revenue, are you surprised? However, in this kind of situation you can sometimes find opportunity, where sentiment is negative but the company is actually making good progress.

The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Wafangdian Bearing shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 14% over one year. Notably the five-year annualised TSR loss of 0.7% per year compares very unfavourably with the recent share price performance. This makes us a little wary, but the business might have turned around its fortunes. You could get a better understanding of Wafangdian Bearing's growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Chinese exchanges.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.